Rejoice or Complain?

Credit: Creative Commons (flesh_kill)

In honor of President's Day--an extra ski day for some, a day to reflect on our nation's heritage for others--let's talk for a few moments about the comfort we have as American followers of Jesus (if you're reading this from Canada, or England, or even Kenya, this still may apply to you). I'm not referring just to material comfort, although that's a part of it. We have to freedom to follow Jesus without a whole lot of consequences that threaten my family's or my well-being. I, for one, have a comfortable job as a pastor that includes retirement contributions and fantastic health coverage for my family. And I know that not every follower of Jesus in America is comfortable by any stretch of the imagination. However, I will assume that anyone reading this blog is more likely to be doing so sipping a Venti Caramel Macchiato than they are to be living on the streets of San Francisco. And you most likely aren't being flogged for telling people about Jesus.

Recently, I've been studying the book of Acts--a short history on the early beginnings of the Church. I decided to spend some time in Acts because I've felt a bit stuck as a leader lately, and I had hoped that reading about the early spread of the Good News of Jesus, his death, and his resurrection, would provide some inspiration as well as some insight on how I can help our youth ministry grow both spiritually and numerically. What I've learned the most about, however, is myself.

Take, for example, Acts 5:12-42. Things seem to be going great for the early Church, people are coming to know Jesus through the spreading of his teachings and miraculous healings. Pretty good stuff, right? And then, things start to go downhill. The Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem considered what the apostles--who were also Jewish--were teaching about Jesus to be heresy. There was One God, and Jesus was not that God. They also didn't like someone else stealing the religious spotlight of the day, because THEY were in charge. So, they tried to put a stop to the whole Jesus thing. Most (or perhaps all) of the apostles were arrested, put in prison, and eventually flogged for telling everyone about Jesus.

Rough day, right? I've had some pretty bad days as a pastor. Tragic events, difficult relationships, and even a church closing. But nothing like what's described in Acts 5. And how did the apostles respond?

Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. -v. 41

Seriously?

They rejoiced that they were worthy enough to suffer for the Good News of Jesus.

Let me just assume something about you. (If I'm wrong, please leave a comment or email me to let me know.) When things go wrong in ministry, your default reaction is to complain, not rejoice. Just think about all the things that can hurt you as a youth worker:

• A parent calls to complain about youth group last night.
• You stand up for something that is right, only to be chastised (and even fired) by those you serve with.
• As you teach about Jesus, a student who doesn't follow Jesus interrupts you to inform you that you have no idea what you're talking about, leaving you in tears.

If you're like me, you won't rejoice. One of the first things you'll do is to pick up the phone (or open a new email message, or get on Facebook) and complain.

This week, when something difficult or hurtful happens to you as a leader (and it will), try something different: rejoice that you are counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus.

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